Improved oar-coupling



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' IMPROVED GAR-COUPLING.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WnILnn, of Washington, -Warren county, New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Car-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following 'to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention consists of a. latch and lever, arranged on one of the bumpers of a railway-car, substantially as described hereafter, so as to support the coupling-link as the cars approach each other, and so as to release it when the bumpers of the two cars come together, thereby permitting it to fall over the book of the car to which that carrying the link has to be coupled.

In order-to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction andoperation, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in which--- Figure 1 represents a side view of two cars about to be coupled together by my improvement.

Figure 2, a plan view of fig. 1.

Figure 3, a plan view (drawn to an enlarged scale) oil portions oftwo cars coupled together.

Figure 4:, a vertical section on the line 1 2, fig. 3; and

Figure 5, apcrspective view, illustrating my invention.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A and A represent portions of two railway-cars to-be coupled together, a being the bumper-beam of one car, and a the adjacent bumper-beam of the other car. The beam a is provided with bumpers b b, and the beam a with bumpers b b, each bumper consisting, in the present instance, of a strip of wood, secured atits outer end to the bumper-beam, and having at its inner end a block or enlargement, whichcan yield to a limited extent. To the beam at of one car, and between its bumpers b b, is hinged a link, (1, arranged to fit over a hook, e, on the bumper-beam a of the other car, and in one of the bumpers b is a vertical slot for containing a catch,f, secured to a rod, h, which can slide to and fro in the said bumper, and to one of the upper corners of the latter is hinged a lBVGl, i, the short arm of which can be arranged to project beneath the bent end of the catch f, as-

seen in fig. 5, while the long arm projects so far, in a contrary direction, as to support the link din the elevated and inclined position shown in figs. 1, 4, and 5.

As the cars come in contact, the rod h, in the bumper b of one car, being struck by the bumper b of the other car, will be forced inwards, the catchj' being thus moved-away from the lever 11, which falls, and permits the link at to fall on to the hook e, when the cars are coupled. The rod 7; may he so acted on by a spring that it will be forced outwards when not in contact with the bumper b., v

If desired, the link cl may be connected to a hook on the beam at, instead of being hinged to the same, as shown, and the hooks for receiving the link may be attached tothe usual draw-bars, instead of being secured directly to the-beam, and the lower end of the catchf may be hinged within the slot of the bumper 6, instead of being secured to the sliding rod 19.

I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent?- The catchf and lever h, arranged on one of the bumpersofn railway-car, for supporting and releasing the link, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whercof,1 have signed my name to this-specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. WEILER'.

Witnesses:

H. Howson, W. J. R. DELANY. 

